WICHITA - The Newman women's basketball team will look to continue its two game winning streak Saturday when McPherson comes to town for a 2 p.m. showdown inside Fugate Gymnasium. The Jets will try to keep their undefeated home record in tact after defeating William Jewell 61-49 at home on Dec. 10.

The 2011-12 Jets...
McPherson will be faced with an up-hill battle when they face the Jets inside Fugate Gymnasium on Saturday. Newman is leading the Heartland Conference in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 57.6 points per contest. The Jets are also leading the conference in scoring margin, outscoring opponents by 9.9 points per game. Newman has had huge performances thus far from senior guard Satoria Bell , who went for 28 points in last Saturday's win against William Jewell.

Bell is leading the team and the conference in scoring for the season, averaging 23.9 points per contest, and has been named the Heartland Conference Player of the Week four times. Bell also leads the conference in steals, averaging 2.7 per game through 10 games. She is ranked second among all scorers in Div. II with 23.9 ppg and first in total points with 239.

Tasha Cannon joins Bell as a consistend double-figure threat. Cannon averages 13.9 points per game and leads the Jets in rebouding with 10.5 boards per contest which is good enough for 26th overall in Div. II.  She is the only other player in the conference besides Bell to earn Heartland Conference Player of the Week honors and leads the conference in rebounding. Cannon has posted five double-doubles this season, a mark which ranks fifth in Div. II.

Defensively Newman is holding its opposition to just 37.8 percent from the field and 28.0 percent from beyond the arc.

For the season, Newman is shooting 43.5 percent from the field which is 50th overall in Div. II and 29.9 percent from long range. The Jets are ranked No. 43 in Div. II free throw shooting, converting 73.9 percent of their attempts from the charity stripe. Newman out-rebounds its opponents by a 6.0 margin.

Last Time Out...
The Jets climbed to 8-2 on the season after a 61-49 win over William Jewell on Dec. 10 inside Fugate Gymnasium. Newman shot 41.1 percent from the field and a season-worst 58.3 percent (14-24) from the free throw line in the game.

After heading into halftime tied 26-26 the Jets jumped out to a 43-37 lead in the second half while holding off several Cardinal rallies for the 12 point win.

Senior guard Satoria Bell led the Jets' offense with 28 points, while adding eight rebounds and three steals in the game. Tasha Cannon booked her fifth double-double of the season, netting 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Ariella McGhee came off the bench for six points, five rebounds and two blocks.

Scouting McPherson...
McPherson comes into Saturday's match-up with a record of 7-6. The Bulldogs are coming off of a 73-67 win over Saint Mary (Kan.) on Dec. 10. Kt Porter and Brittany Pittas each scored 14 points to lead McPherson in the win. Taylor Puttergill joined Porter and Pittas in double-figures adding 13 points and five rebounds. The Bulldogs' most recent loss came against Sterling College (75-60) on Dec. 8.

McPherson is led by Brittany Pittas, who is averaging 14.0 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. Kt Porter is the Bulldogs' second-leading-scorer, contributing 12.9 points per game. Elice Frey leads the team in rebounding with 6.6 rebounds per game while adding 10.2 points per outing offensively.

As a team the Bulldogs are shooting 40.0 percent from the field and 32.2 percent from beyond the arc. McPherson also makes 63.2 percent of their free throws and out rebounds their opponents by a 1.1 margin.

We Meet Again...
Saturday's contest will be the 21st meeting in a series which dates back to 1979, when Newman won a 62-59 decision over the Bulldogs. The Jets hold a 12-8 lead in the all-time series, and have won six of the last 10 meetings. The Bulldogs won the last meeting in an 80-70 decison as part of the Bethel College Classic on Nov. 17, 2006 in North Newton, Kan. The two teams have not met since the Jets made the transition to NCAA Div. II.